Chris Eckman - Janela

All Music Guide

After a decadeandahalf helping to lead the Walkabouts, the idea that Chris Eckman would take a solo turn wasn't necessarily a surprise, but it was still a touch unexpected when news of A Janela came along. However, in ways it slotted in with the development of the Walkabouts as a whole as their focus moved towards European musical inspirations as the title subtly hints, part of the album was recorded in Lisbon, Portugal, and allusions to the country and its music occur throughout. One song is called "Fadista," referring to the name given to singers of fado, a genre normally performed, like this song in question, on acoustic guitar, while the album concludes with a dark instrumental titled "Sonhos e Sombras." Unlike the collaboration of the Walkabouts and various side projects with European musicians, however, A Janela is mostly Eckman and supporting performers from Seattle, including Walkabouts' associates Larry Crane on bass and Kevin Suggs on guitar. Eckman's slightly raspy, strongly melancholic voice suits the generally dark and downbeat feeling of the album as a whole, with Eckman's piano rather than guitar often leading the way, giving the album more of a distinct character. When he rocks out a bit more, like the late'90s Walkabouts, he steers away from the driving guitar mania of past work for a murky atmosphere very theatrical and cinematic, as on "The Drag," alternating between tense calm and sudden release while on "Deadwood" the performance is almost sweetly winsome, a small moment of calm. The credit for 'synths, tapes, loops' also hints at his developing interest in understated textures that color the arrangements, as with the inandout samples of Portuguese singing and speaking on the collage pieces "Rua Augusta" and the title track, the latter tied together by a lovely guitar melody and quiet rhythm. His eye for portraits of souls in some kind of torment can readily be heard throughout, as on the emotional soulharrowing of "Intrusions."

- Ned Raggett, All Music Guide